An Alternate 1969
by drgemini86
Summary: What might have happened had Sam and Daniel been left behind in 1969? In answer to one of Jess' challenges. AU. SamDaniel, eventually. Spoilers for 1969, and seasons 8, 9 and 10
1. Chapter 1

Jess' fan fic challenge:

"_Set during the episode 1969. Somehow, the team gets separated and  
only Jack and Teal'c make it back to the present time. Sam and Daniel  
are stuck in 1969 for as long as ... well, as long as you want.  
Eventually they do make it back to the present._

Rules: 1. Can be Sam/Daniel friendship, romance, whatever. Cannot be  
NC-17.  
2. Can be as long as you like.  
3. Must include the line "I think we fit in pretty well here."

That's about it. Again, they can be stuck in the past for as long as  
you want (even stretching into beyond 1969) but they must make it back  
to the present time at some point."

-------------------------- 

"You! Stop!

The guard, his gun ready, shouted at SG-1 to stop as they stood at the base of the improvised 'ramp', which had originally been the sides of the crate holding the 'gate.

Jack said quietly, "We have got to go," before readying his zat as another guard appeared, readying his own sidearm.

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c dived behind some crates as Jack shot the second guard. The first guard hid behind a Jeep for cover and opened fire on SG-1 after a moment of surprise. Jack zatted the Jeep, and the residual energy charge dazed the guard.

Sam replied, "Sir, the timing has to be exact. Just a few more seconds."

Jack shouted, "It's gonna have to be close enough! Go!"

She replied hastily as she readied her zat, "No, I'll cover you guys!"

He snapped, "Carter!" as Daniel and Teal'c looked on with worried expressions.

"Sir, I'm a faster runner than all of you, so it would make sense for me to be the last one through. With all respect, go!"

The males exchanged a concerned look but realised that time was short, and she continued as the guards began to recover, readying her zat,

"It should be alright now! Move out… Sir!"

Jack remarked, "Who's the Colonel!?"

"Sir, with all respect, you're wasting time!"

Daniel said, "Sam, if you miss this, you won't know when the next solar flare is!"

She replied as she drew the guards' attention, "Hello! Astrophysicist here! Go!"

She became involved in a fire fight with the guards as circumstance forced Jack and Teal'c to reluctantly run through the event horizon, narrowly dodging bullets. Daniel, also reluctant to leave her, was a few seconds behind them, but a stray bullet grazed his calf, taking him by surprise, and he collapsed on the 'ramp'.

Sam managed to zat both guards, before rushing to her friend's aid. She quickly assessed his injuries, her zat aimed at the still unconscious guards. She attempted to help him up but then the event horizon disappeared, the power failing, leaving them both stranded in 1969.


	2. Chapter 2

The guards began to regain consciousness, so without a word, Sam grabbed Daniel, and they ran out of the warehouse, trying to escape detection.

Outside, they hid in an inconspicuous alley, and she exclaimed as she punched an opposing wall in frustration,

"Argh, it's my fault! If I'd listened to the Colonel, we'd be back home again!"

He held her arms and said sincerely, forcing her to meet his gaze, "It was an accident, Sam. Even if Jack was the one who gave the rest of us covering fire, he probably would be in our position now. Who knows what could have happened?"

He released his hold, and she threw her arms down in frustration, saying,

"If I'd listened to the Colonel, we wouldn't have wasted that time arguing."

She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall that they were leaning on, and she asked quietly,

"Is your leg still hurting?"

He replied distractedly, "It's a little sore, but it's serviceable… What do we do now?"

She opened her eyes and replied pensively, "Now? Now we have to predict a solar flare on the other side of the Sun, and jerry-rig another power source to the 'gate. Oh God, I'm so sorry, Daniel!"

He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You have nothing to be sorry about – you had our welfare in mind."

He continued, "Perhaps General Hammond gave us another clue."

She replied, "It's impossible to predict a solar flare, even more so now."


	3. Chapter 3

At an abandoned road-side camp, the two scientists brainstormed their options. She drew in the mud with a stick as she explained various theories, most of them relating to power sources.

He interrupted her by saying, "I think we should find General… I mean, Lieutenant Hammond again. He's the key to all this – he helped us all escape before."

She replied with a sigh, "What if we change the future? We don't know how much damage we've already done by contacting his present self."

"But the General knew that we were going to be stranded with Jack and Teal'c. He must have known that something like this happened, otherwise why allow us to go on the mission?"

"Ah, yes, but what if this was never meant to happen? We… I've screwed things up for us… maybe we were all supposed to make it back. I mean, the General only gave us two Solar flare dates… We can't go to the Lieutenant anyway – we'll be arrested and he won't get away with helping us to escape again."

She groaned audibly, hiding her face in her hands. He whispered,

"Maybe there is way to get home again."

She looked up, curious, and he continued, "If we were to somehow contact the Asgard via the 'gate, after acquiring a pretty big power source…"

She replied with a sigh, "What have we got to lose? I don't know how we could contact the Asgard, or whether they would even be able to time travel, but I do know that it's going to take months to gather together the required materials for a strong enough power source to even dial out. We can't use lightening because we would never get the 'gate out of that warehouse, alive."

He sat next to her, rubbing her shoulder, as he said,

"Well, let's get to it."


	4. Chapter 4

After she closed her eyes in resignation, still sat near the fire, she remembered something. Her eyes flew open, and just as he looked at her in confusion, she said, excitedly,

"There was a Physics genius at my high school; way before I ever went there – Michael Johnson… he's Professor Emeritus at the University now, but…"

He tried not to be impatient, but he said, "No offence, but get to the point."

She nodded excitedly as she continued, "He was the only person, before me, to get full marks in Physics and Math. If my Math is right, he's round about fourteen now."

He looked at her in concern, and asked, "And you think he could help us?"

She nodded and replied, "There were stories about him being crazy, talking about helping aliens to get home again. It was a running joke well into the seventies."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, realising where she was going, and he remarked,

"He's going to help us get home?! Where does he live?"

"Hm, New York City."


	5. Chapter 5

They managed to hitch a lift from another friendly group of hippies, all the way to NYC, where they went about looking for the prodigy's house. As she flipped through a telephone directory that she had acquired, he looked around his surroundings, and said,

"August 1969, my parents came to New York to visit the Museum."

She looked up and asked him with a sad expression,

"It's not…"

She realised something, and then continued, "Oh right, you would've been four around now… sorry. Did you come with your parents?"

He replied, trying not to show emotion, "Yes… although I don't remember much about it."

She scanned the directory and cringed on seeing a long list of Johnsons. He looked over her shoulder and remarked,

"Must be a common name."

She discreetly tore the relevant page out, before handing it back to a shopkeeper, an innocent smile on her face.

When they were out of earshot, she said as she read the sheet,

"Looks like the first candidate's on the other side of the city. We can swing by the Museum on our way there."

"Sam, I don't want you to think that you have to do it."

"Come on Daniel, stop thinking of other people for once. I want to do this. I was with you that second time, and… well, let's just go to the Museum."

He looked at her for a moment, ghosts of the past in his eyes, before they set off.


	6. Chapter 6

They were in the Egyptian section of the Museum, and although he didn't say anything, she felt a chill when she saw the exact place that his parents died… or what rather where they would die in about four years time.

She looked out of the corner of her eye and noticed that he was understandably subdued. She said quietly,

"Daniel, we don't have to do this if you don't want to."

He shook his head and replied, "It's ok. I just want to see them for real instead of in a memory."

She squeezed his arm reassuringly, before they stopped in their tracks on seeing a familiar looking couple bent over a sheaf of papers.

His breath caught in his throat on seeing his parents, and as he and Sam pretended to look at an exhibit, he couldn't help but watch them. Sam noted how much he resembled both of his parents, especially his father.

They, Doctors Jackson, seemed to be discussing a translation, and were obviously having trouble with it. Without a word to Sam, and before she could protest about causality, he stepped over to them and said, feigning a Swedish accent,

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help overhearing that you were having trouble with a translation."

The two Jacksons looked up in surprise, and Claire said with a smile,

"We found a tablet in Giza, and it mentions an uprising against the gods. It appears to be a diary entry of some sort, written by the King's scribe in the First Dynasty, although for some reason he refers to the King as Ra."

Daniel managed to conceal his surprise, as did Sam, who was standing next to him, and he replied, looking at the papers,

"Hm, perhaps he is exalting the King to god status."

Melburn added, excitedly, "Perhaps the Egyptian pantheon has its origins in deified Pharaohs. My God, this is astounding. It's a similar notion to the ancient Greek gods being based on cult heroes."

Sam smiled at his enthusiasm, recalling how Daniel got excited about similar things, and Claire said,

"This is unique – there is no known text from that far back… Even the Babylonian Enuma Elish, in its earliest known form, was from the 8th Century BC. This tablet gives an insight into the reign of an unknown albeit despotic Pharaoh."

Daniel looked over her shoulder at the translation, and said,

"It does not have many clues as to who the Pharaoh is, although many of the First Dynasty Pharaohs were known as Horus, followed, or sometimes preceded by a descriptor, like Djer, Horus who Succours. Horus is another name for Ra, as well as being the name of the son of Ra and Isis."

Melburn and Claire looked impressed at this, and Sam was worried that he would say too much. Claire said, holding out a hand,

"I don't believe we have met before… I'm Doctor Claire Ballard-Jackson, and this is my husband, Doctor Melburn Jackson. We're Archaeologists."

Daniel shook her hand and Melburn's, as did Sam, before saying,

"I am Doctor Daniel Jac… Jacobsen, and this is Doctor Samantha Carrington… she is American."

Claire said with a smile, "Daniel? We have a son called Daniel! Oh… Doctor Carrington, what do you do?"

"I'm an Astrophysicist."

Claire and Melburn shared an impressed look, before the former asked,

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you two…?"

Before Daniel could reply, Sam replied,

"Oh… we've only just started dating."

She squeezed his hand reassuringly, before looking at her watch, and saying to Daniel,

"Oh Daniel, how time flies – we were supposed to meet Michael a half hour ago!"

She looked at the Jacksons apologetically, and said with a smile,

"I'm sorry, Doctors Jackson. It was very nice meeting you."

Melburn nodded, and Claire said with a smile,

"Well, we're only in NY for a couple more days… with our son..."

She looked round and asked Melburn, confused, "Where's Daniel got to?"

Melburn shrugged and replied, "I saw him an hour ago at the Isis exhibit with Lauren."

Sam panicked, not sure what would happen if Daniel met his younger self, and Claire continued with a chuckle,

"Oh, that boy would spend whole weeks with those exhibits! I think he'll be an Archaeologist too… he's very bright, and we're so proud of him already."

Daniel masked his emotions once more, fighting the urge to hug his mother, and she continued,

"Anyway, we're in NY for a couple more days, but if you happen to be in Giza any time in the near future, you're more than welcome to come and stay with us."

Daniel replied, "Thank you very much, Doctor Jackson."

She shook his hand and said brightly, "Oh, you polite man, call me Claire."


	7. Chapter 7

After a long, fruitless search of half of the Johnson list, Sam realised that Daniel hadn't said anything remotely personal since leaving the Museum.

They had just enough money left over for food (she had insisted that Jack let her look after the money), and so they went to a diner. They sat in a corner so they wouldn't be overheard easily. After they had finished eating, she said,

"You're parents are nicer than I thought they would be, and that's saying something."

He had a distant look in his eyes as he replied quietly,

"Yeah."

She squeezed his hand, and said with a small smile,

"Well, at least they're proud of you, and you're the best possible legacy they could leave."

He looked at her in bewilderment, and she continued,

"What? You're like a composite of both of them! You look like both of them, and your Dad gets excited in the same way you do when you're describing something interesting. Your Mom… she's a very nice person, just like you are. And they're both really clever, just like you."

He blushed, smiling slightly, before asking, "How many more Johnsons?"

She smiled at his embarrassment, before scanning the list and saying, "About fifteen. I wish I knew Professor Johnson's father's name!"

He asked, "Why don't we ask your high school?"

She replied in a whisper, "We're still on the run, Daniel. If they get suspicious as to our motives, they could notify the authorities, and this time, we won't have Lieutenant Hammond to bail us out."

He replied, raising his eyebrows slightly, "They don't know our names… I mean, they're looking for Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise."


	8. Chapter 8

They waited outside the Principal's office of Sam's old high school, trying to hide their nervousness. They had already prepared their cover stories, but they couldn't help but be worried about whether the Principal would take them seriously or not.

A few moments later, they heard a buzzing noise, and then the Secretary said to them,

"Principal Dannenberg will see you now."

They were ushered into the office, where they were greeted by a foreboding looking woman, whose very gaze almost had the power to turn people into stone, and then further into ice.

Daniel noticed the extensive wood panelling and brown leather, and he briefly wondered where the school's funding came from.

Dannenberg invited them to sit, before she looked at them expectantly.

Sam knew this woman all too well, as she had been the Principal when Sam attended the school in the 70's. In short, the woman was a dragon.

Sam tried not to look scared as she said,

"Principal Dannenberg, I am Captain Alison Harper of the United States Air Force, and this is my civilian colleague, Doctor Simon Ballard. The Air Force would like to trace a Michael Johnson."

Dannenberg looked slightly intrigued for a moment, before asking,

"For what purpose? Mr Johnson is a very well behaved young man."

Daniel piped up, "Well Ma'am, I assume that you have noticed that he is a particularly gifted child."

Sam added, "We are not allowed to reveal the nature of the project, but we can tell you that we require his assistance. Do you have an address where we could contact him?"

Dannenberg stared at them for a long moment, before she pressed a button on the intercom, saying into it,

"Stella, bring me the permanent record of Michael Johnson, this year's Einstein-Rosen award winner."

A few moments later, the door opened and the Secretary presented Dannenberg with a thick folder, before leaving.

Dannenberg wrote something down on a piece of paper, before handing it to Sam, saying,

"This is Mr Johnson's address. I assume that you have searched a telephone directory; otherwise, you would not have requested my assistance. He currently lives with his mother, Miss Jane Fraiser."

Daniel cleared his throat to hide his surprise on hearing the surname, but luckily, Sam managed to retain her composure. They thanked the Principal, before leaving the office.


	9. Chapter 9

They stood in front of a tidy looking townhouse a few miles away from the school, and he suddenly asked her,

"We're not going to meet Janet's Mom, are we?"

She shrugged and replied, "I don't know… I don't think so; otherwise, Professor Johnson would be a Fraiser too. It could be some relation though. We'll have to be extra careful so that we don't change the future too much."

He asked, looking worried, "Don't you think that this was a little too easy?"

Puzzled, she asked, "What do you mean?

"I mean, getting the address."

"Maybe she really bought into our story."

He shrugged slightly, and followed her up the steps to the front door. After taking a moment to compose herself, she knocked on the door.

A few moments later, it was answered by a worried looking woman, the lines around her eyes making her look older than she was. She looked from one scientist to the other and said,

"Yes? Can I help you?"

Sam launched into the same cover story that she had told Dannenberg, with Daniel supporting her at certain moments. Eventually satisfied by their story, the woman let them in, leading them to the lounge, and inviting them to sit.

Over coffee, and after shouting up the stairs for Michael, the woman said,

"You look a little odd for Air Force people."

Sam replied coolly, "We're keeping a low profile due to the classified nature of the project in question, Ma'am."

Daniel added with a smile, "_I think we fit in pretty well here_."

Sam smiled briefly, maintaining her military exterior, before asking the woman,

"Can I assume that you are Michael's mother?"

The woman nodded, and replied, a little flustered,

"I do apologise – where are my manners? I'm Jane Fraiser… Michael's father and I divorced a year ago… it's been pretty hard on Michael, but he's achieving so much at school."

She added with a proud smile, "He won the Einstein-Rosen award at his school for building a more efficient power generator for his school. Apparently it's saving them thousands in electricity bills."

Just at that moment, they could hear someone noisily coming down the stairs, and she said,

"That should be him."

She called, "Michael? Your guests are waiting."

The reply came, "Sorry Mom."

A second later, a handsome teenager, with stunning bottle green eyes, entered the room. He was holding various papers and had a pencil resting on the top of his ear.

"Michael, this gentleman and lady are from the Air Force and want a word with you."


	10. Chapter 10

After Jane left the room to give them some privacy, Michael self-consciously sat down opposite them, and Sam asked,

"Hi, I'm Captain Alison Harper, and this Doctor Simon Ballard. We're with the Air Force."

He nodded in acknowledgement, but looked at them oddly. She said,

"Michael, we really need you to help us. What we're about to tell you isn't to leave this room. Do you understand?"

He nodded again, and asked, looking guilty,

"Am I in trouble for the power generator that I built for the school? I didn't know that I was breaking the law."

Sam assured him, "No, you're not… Actually, that's why we're here. We need you to help us build a large generator, with an output rate similar to, say, that of downtown Manhattan."

He frowned slightly, before quickly writing down a series of calculations. He looked up and replied,

"You do realise that that would mean generating way over ten gigawatts of power? Can you tell me what you want to use it for?"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a look, before she replied, quietly,

"The Air Force has discovered a device capable of transporting the user, via a stable wormhole, to different planets within this galaxy. We just don't have the means to power it up due to the present situation in Vietnam."

He instantly asked, "Then how do you know that this 'device' does what you said?"

Sam and Daniel exchanged another look, before the latter replied,

"We've tested it… there was an accident and we can't power it up again."

Michael was about to say something, when an auburn-haired young girl entered the room, calling,

"Auntie Jane!"

She stopped in her tracks on seeing Sam and Daniel, who in turn slowly realised who she was. She instantly became shy and held onto the back of Michael's chair, shyly looking out from behind him.

Michael said, a little annoyed, "Janet, you're not allowed to be here."

Janet, forgetting Sam and Daniel for a moment, retorted as she pinched the back of his neck, making him flinch,

"I can… your Mom is my Dad's sister, so that makes us cousins… and besides, Auntie Jane said you had be nice to me!"

She became shy again, and Michael held the back of his neck, saying to his guests,

"I'm sorry, Janet's a little bully."

Sam and Daniel smiled knowingly as Michael left, calling for his mother, before the former said to Janet,

"Hello Janet. How old are you?"

Janet, her shyness dissipating somewhat, replied,

"Ten."

Daniel made a mental note to write Janet's real age in a birthday card when they got home again, in order to tease her future self.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Janet thought for a moment, before replying, "I don't know."

Daniel asked, "What does your father do?"

"He's in Vietnam. He's a Doctor."

Sam said with a smile, "I bet you would make a good Doctor too… and maybe you could join the Army… or Air Force so you could travel."

Janet replied, "I would like to travel… would I have to fly planes in the Air Force?"

Sam said, "No, not if you're a Medical Officer, but you have to know the basics."

Janet nodded, the idea of joining the Air Force turning in her mind. Just then, Jane returned and escorted her out, saying,

"I told you not to disturb Michael and his guests."

She flashed an apologetic smile to Sam and Daniel, saying, "I'm sorry, Janet can be a handful."

Michael returned, and when his mother left once more, he said,

"I think I can help you, but it's going to take me months to gather the components, make the relevant calculations, and then put everything together… and that's without knowing the power capacity of the device!"

Sam replied with a smile, "That's where you're in luck – I just happen to be an Astrophysicist. I know how the device works, and I could help you with the calculations and construction."

He asked them, "Can I see the device?"

Sam and Daniel glanced at each other, before the former said,

"Sure. We can arrange that."


	11. Chapter 11

Under cover of darkness, Sam, Daniel and Michael broke into the warehouse; much to the bewilderment of the latter. He remarked,

"Why are we breaking and entering?"

Before they could reply, he spotted the Stargate, and stood there with an awed expression on his face. They smiled at him, and she said,

"This, Michael Johnson, is the device that I told you about."

When he eventually managed to pry his eyes from the stone structure, he said, confused,

"But… an Einstein-Rosen bridge isn't stable enough to allow matter through! For a stable wormhole, theoretically, you would require a shell of exotic matter… and I don't think even the Air Force could be able to get their hands on that!"

She shook her head and replied with a smile, "The device doesn't produce an Einstein-Rosen bridge… nor does it require exotic matter. It does require a certain amount of raw electricity… as we have no dialling computer; we have to dial it by hand."

Michael stared at them for a few seconds, before asking,

"Wait… dialling? You mean like a telephone?"

Daniel nodded with a smile, and replied, "Exactly. We use a combination of six of those symbols as an address, with an extra symbol to represent the point of origin."

Michael exclaimed almost instantly, "Dear God! That's just under two million destinations?!"

He looked up at the ceiling and asked in an awed voice,

"You mean that travel to different planets is possible? I always thought that it would take too long using conventional means, and that wormholes would be too unstable to allow safe passage for humans!"

He turned to look at their amused faces, and continued,

"Do you even know what this could mean for Astrophysics; not forgetting the other Sciences if there is life out there, with technological levels similar to or greater than our own?! This could change Earth forever!"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a brief concerned glance, and the former said with a serious expression,

"And that is why you can't tell anyone about this. Earth isn't ready for this now… nor will it be for a long time coming."

Daniel asked her quietly, "Do you think we should tell him?"

She nodded, and he said, "Michael, we have a confession to make. We're not _exactly_ who you think we are…"

At Michael's puzzled expression, she added,

"We're with the Air Force but this isn't a _current_ Air Force project. Do you know what happens when you speed up one end of a wormhole relative to the other end?"

Michael replied distractedly, "Um, yes… anyone entering via that end would emerge sometime in the past… I don't see how…"

Realisation hit him and he exclaimed, "You're from the future!?"

They both nodded, and Daniel said, "We accidentally came here with our friends, but due to an accident, our friends made it home without us… we need your help so we can go back, or rather forward, to our own time. If you power the 'gate, we can get some help from some friends of ours."

"Friends? There's life… out there?"

Sam remarked with a smile, "More than you could ever dream of, but you can't tell anyone about this."

She continued, "We need a sufficient enough power threshold to use the 'gate, and return if necessary."

Michael smiled at them and remarked, "Well, sign me up!"

Unbeknownst to all present, a certain auburn-haired girl, and a sandy haired boy had been listening to everything that had been said as they hid behind a door.


	12. Chapter 12

Having overcome most of his surprise, Michael began to soberly think things through. He walked in front of the 'gate, staring at the symbols, and he asked,

"What's it made of?"

Sam replied, "Sorry, if I tell you, it will have negative implications on the future. All I _can_ tell you, however, is that it's a heavy metal, not from this planet."

"Wow. I take it that it is a conductor if you require vast amounts of electricity. I don't think we're due any storms, otherwise we could harness the raw electricity produced by lightening."

Sam replied with a slight frown, "Even if we could do that, we would need a solar flare."

"Why?"

"That's how we ended up here. The solar flare interrupted the wormhole and catapulted us back here. Our friends got home when there was a solar flare on the other side of the Sun a few days ago."

"Ah, I take it that you got the required data from the future?"

Daniel replied, "Yes."

Just at that moment, they heard a sneeze and they turned in the direction of the sound, the two members of SG-1 readying their zats. Sam quietly crept over to the door, and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised who it was. However, relief was replaced by concern, even more so on seeing the boy too, and she asked,

"You two! How much did you hear?"

As Michael and Daniel ran to where Sam was, Janet and the boy stepped out from behind the door, and Janet shyly replied,

"Everything, Ma'am."

Michael exclaimed, "Janet! You and your little boyfriend could ruin everything!"

Janet replied, "I only wanted to see where you were going, and Sylvester wanted to tag along too!"

Before Michael could say anything else, Sam glanced at Daniel before saying,

"It's ok, but do you promise not to tell anyone about what you heard?"

Janet and Sylvester nodded and replied in unison, "Yes, Ma'am."

Sam caressed the little girl's hair and said with a smile,

"Call me Alison."

She looked at the boy and asked, "What's your name?"

He replied, "Sylvester Siler, Ma'am… I mean, Alison."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a glance, wondering how many more SGC personnel they were going to meet, and whether they were going to change the future for the worst.


	13. Chapter 13

Michael's mother insisted on having Sam and Daniel for dinner, and then afterwards, insisted that they stay over for as long as the 'project' required. When they protested, she replied that she could use the company and that she wanted to keep track of her son's whereabouts due to her unpredictable ex-husband.

In their attic room, that night, Sam and Daniel discussed their situation. For the first time since they had been stuck in the past, she noticed that he seemed to have lost all hope. She put a hand on his shoulder and said reassuringly, despite her own fears,

"We're going to get home again, Daniel."

He replied as he stared at the floor, "I'm never going to find Sha're again. She's still out there… dear God, she doesn't even exist yet!"

"You're going to find her, and then we'll take her to Cimmeria to have Amaunet removed. Don't give up. All we have now is each other, and if I lose you, I don't know how I'm going to cope. Once through the 'gate, we need to be able to convince the Asgard or Tollan who we are, and I can't do that by myself."

He nodded as he fought back the tears, and she pulled him into a hug. The tears silently streamed down his cheeks as he thought of Sha're. She rubbed his back and continued,

"We're going to get through this, ok?"

He nodded in her embrace, and she released him, before he turned away, ashamed of his tears. She said with sadness in her eyes,

"It's ok to cry, Daniel… it's not a sign of weakness."


	14. Chapter 14

After breakfast, the next morning, Sam and Michael worked on designing the generator, as the former pored over the designs of the latter's previous work. Janet and Sylvester hung around for a while until they lost interest, and then they sought out Daniel, who had been talking to Jane as the two adults cleared the table.

When Jane went to the kitchen, Sylvester asked Daniel,

"What's it like in the future?"

Daniel replied with a smile, "Well, it's not too different from the present… I can't tell you too much though, because it'll change the future way too much. As it is, we're risking it."

He continued, in an attempt the steer the conversation away from the future,

"How old are you, Sylvester?"

"Eleven, Sir."

Daniel smiled, remembering the Siler that he knew, before saying,

"Call me Simon…"

He continued, "What do you want to be when you're older?"

Sylvester replied proudly, "A mechanic like my Dad. He's in Vietnam with Janet's Dad."

"Wow… I bet you'll be going into the Air Force or Army then?"

"I think so."

"Good. I bet you'll make a good mechanic… how good are you at fixing things?"

"Well, Sir… Simon, I can fix cars. My Mom says that it saves her a fortune in servicing. And I can fix electrical stuff."

Jane returned, and resumed her conversation about schools with Daniel, so Janet and Sylvester went to see what Sam and Michael were doing.


	15. Chapter 15

A few hours later, Sam took a break from working, and without a word to anyone else, went outside to sit on the front step. Something was on her mind and she wanted to think things through.

Daniel eventually joined her, and noticing the way that she hugged herself as she sat, asked,

"Sam, what's wrong?"

She shook her head and replied, "It's nothing."

"Sam…?"

"Really, it's nothing."

He sat down next to her and, thinking that their predicament was overwhelming her, said,

"You said that we'll get home eventually, and I have faith in you. If anyone can pull this off, it's you… and Michael, of course."

"Thanks… but that's not what I'm worried about."

He gazed at her with concern and asked, "What is it?"

"It's nothing."

Suddenly, he came to a realisation and said in a hushed voice,

"Oh. It's…"

Realising what he thought, she shook her head, saying,

"No… I'm going to go and help Michael now."

She got up and quickly went indoors again, leaving a very puzzled Archaeologist behind.


	16. Chapter 16

After a long day of working and talking, the two members of SG-1 went to bed. Sam seemed very subdued, and Daniel tried to find out what was wrong. However, she wouldn't say anything and without a word, lay down to sleep. He lay down next to her looking at her for a few moments, before dozing off.

Suddenly, his eyes flew open and he exclaimed,

"Oh my God, Sam, I'm so sorry!"

Despite not being asleep, the exclamation startled her nonetheless, and for a moment, she didn't know what he was talking about.

As he stared at her, full of self-loathing, he said, his eyes brimming with tears,

"I'm so sorry… I thought Sha're… oh my God."

He turned away, feeling very sick, and she got up to sit next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and said quietly,

"It's ok Daniel… I realised what was happening… I didn't stop it because you needed it."

He shook his head and replied, "It shouldn't have happened! I'm sorry. Oh God."

He made a move to get up, but she stopped him, forcing him to look her in the eyes, and she said,

"Daniel, I could've stopped it, but I didn't, ok? I didn't because you needed it, and you're my best friend. It's my fault for not stopping it when I could have."

"No Sam, it's my fault. I haven't slept in the same bed as someone else since Abydos, and I should have slept on the floor. Oh God, I'm so, so sorry. I feel sick… I can't believe I did that to you."

She pulled him into a hug and whispered, "It's ok Daniel. I'm glad that you remembered though otherwise I would've gone nuts."


	17. Chapter 17

A couple of weeks later, after Daniel had managed to get over some of his guilt, and Sam and Michael had made in-roads with the design of the generator, she woke up feeling very nauseous.

"Oh boy," she thought to herself, "If that whole debacle wasn't enough…"

Before she could continue her thought, she bolted for the bathroom.

Daniel, who had woken up a short time before her, wondered what was wrong. He stood outside the bathroom and asked, calling through the door,

"Sam? Are you alright?"

She replied, "I think I've got a stomach bug."

There was the sound of running water before she emerged, looking pale and sweaty. He said,

"You need to see a Doctor."

She shook her head and replied, "It's just a bug… and besides, one vial of my blood, and I'll be dissected before you could say 'relativity'. I'll be ok once I get some fluids."

After breakfast, she seemed a lot healthier, and for the moment, his worries lessened. However, he still felt very guilty about what he had done.

Sam cheered up a lot more as the basic design of the generator was almost complete and everything seemed to be falling into place with regard to returning home.


	18. Chapter 18

As the weeks passed, Sam noticed that her ankles had a tendency to swell when she stood for long periods. Due to their predicament, however, she decided not to think anything of it as she worked hard with Michael to finish the design.

One night, as Sam and Daniel lay in their room, talking, Daniel said as he stared at the ceiling,

"How's the design coming on?"

She replied with a smile, "Very well. We just need to track down the components now… that's gonna be one heck of a thing to pull off in this time period."

She gazed at him with concern, noticing his distant expression, and she said quietly,

"Daniel, look at me."

He reluctantly did as he was told, his eyes failing to hide his guilt and pain, and she said,

"I don't blame you for what happened, ok? If… when we get home, I promise that no-one will find out about what happened."

"But Sam," he said, his voice breaking with emotion, "you'll know. Then I'm going to have to tell Sha're when we find her again… Oh God, I'm so sorry."

A tear ran down his cheek, the only other indication of his inner turmoil, and she dried it, saying,

"Daniel, stop apologising. She _will_ understand, and if she doesn't, I'll explain that you were upset and were dreaming about her. It was nothing more than an accident."

He spluttered, disgusted with himself, "But, but I violated you!"

She said calmly, "I let it happen, Daniel… it wasn't all you. I let it happen because you needed it. It doesn't mean that you love Sha're any less, ok? What happened was an accident and I trust you… heck, I already trust you with my life."

"Really?"

"Of course. Come on, let's go to sleep."

"Maybe I should…"

"Daniel, don't even finish that sentence. You're sleeping here."

He whispered, looking defeated, "Ok."

She was about to maintain the professional distance between them, but noticed that he was still upset. She snuggled up to him, and before he could say anything, she said,

"Stop beating yourself about it, Daniel. It happened, and even if I could change things, I wouldn't have stopped it. I let it happen because you're my best friend and if need be, I'd move entire planets for you."

He looked at her in amazement, and she smiled, saying,

"We've got a rollercoaster coming up with this generator, and I need you to keep things together. Can you do that for me?"

He slowly nodded, and she caressed his jaw, whispering, "Good."


	19. Chapter 19

On a coach trip to Chicago, to fetch a key component of the generator, Sam looked out of the window as they approached the city. She frowned slightly before leaning over to Daniel and whispering,

"I thought I was imagining things the first time round, but that's the Sears Tower… its construction didn't begin until 1971!"

Daniel turned to look out of the window and he whispered, a surprised expression on his face,

"How is that possible?"

Michael, who had overheard parts of their conversation, whispered,

"What are you guys looking at?"

Daniel replied, "The Sears Tower..."

Puzzled, Michael asked, "Sears Tower? There's no such thing."

Sam pointed it out to him, saying, "It's over there. That tall building."

Michael shook his head, unable to see what they were seeing, and she realised something. She whispered to Daniel,

"Maybe it's a kind of retro-echo of the future."

"How?"

"It could suggest variations in Earth's geomagnetic field. There have been cases of 'ghosts' from the past making an appearance during periods of intense geomagnetic activity. Whilst some of those sightings may be spurious, it could explain that… dear God."

Concerned, Daniel glanced at her and asked, "Sam?"

She replied with a smile, trying to keep her voice down,

"Geomagnetic variations can be the result of solar flares!"

Michael, overhearing their conversation again, quietly asked,

"But if you're witnessing the post-effects, would it be possible to predict a flare?"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a brief glance before the former replied with a slight frown,

"It's impossible… I mean, you can't predict the behaviour of the Sun's magnetic field… and even where we come from, we haven't devised a way to predict such things."


	20. Chapter 20

Having acquired the part, the three scientists walked past Wrigley Field, taking in the sights and sounds of the Windy city. Daniel quietly remarked to Sam,

"Jack's going to be so jealous when he finds out where we've been."

She chuckled and replied, "The Colonel would've given his secret MacGyver stash to see this."

"MacGyver?"

"You didn't know? I thought you were supposed to know him better than anyone else!"

He looked at her with a frown and asked, "You're joking about MacGyver, right?"

She shook her head and replied, "Nope… I caught a glimpse into his locker once and he's got a pile of MacGyver videos in there. I'm surprised he didn't mention anything to you!"

Before he could reply, the two members of SG-1 stopped in their tracks on hearing someone shout,

"Yo Jackson! What's up with you and Sam?"

Michael looked at Sam and Daniel in confusion, wondering what was wrong, as the two members of SG-1 turned around to see who was shouting. Sam exclaimed in surprise,

"Cam? What are you doing here? What's with the hair?"

Daniel remarked, "Who's Cam?"

She replied quickly before approaching a rather panicked looking Cam, who was in civilian clothes, "Oh, it's someone I was mentoring after I graduated from the Academy."

Cam, realising that he couldn't escape, remained standing and tried to maintain a cool composure. However, he was surprised to see Sam and Daniel, especially Daniel. Sam asked him,

"Cam, what are you doing here?"

Cam replied, trying to sound casual, "Aw nothing much… just hanging out in my favourite year…"

He glanced at Daniel curiously but said nothing. Daniel asked, confused,

"How you do you know my name? I've never seen you before in my entire life."

Cam stammered, "Ah… w-well, y'know… jeez… Sam, I think you can guess what happened."

Realisation dawned on Sam's face, and she exclaimed, "You're from the future? Our future? How come?"

"Dumb as I tend to be, you of all people know I can't tell you."

Much to Cam's relief, Teal'c came to his aid, which was much to Sam and Daniel's surprise. In fact, they were so surprised that they couldn't speak – Teal'c had hair! Daniel was the first to break the silence as he remarked,

"So… um, Teal'c… that suits you. You look a lot less, shall we say, belligerent. I thought you were supposed to keep your head hair-free."

Teal'c replied with slight smile, "Times will change, DanielJackson."

Sam frowned slightly as she stared at Teal'c, and she said,

"I can't sense Junior…"

Cam whispered something to Teal'c, who nodded in assent, saying quietly,

"It may happen if only for a short period."

Cam shouted across the street, "Yo Jackson, Sam, get your butts over here!"

Sam and Daniel looked across the street to see none other than their future selves emerging from an alley. They were both surprised to see future-Daniel's shorter hair and different glasses, his improved physique and overall confidence. Daniel whispered to Sam,

"He must have found Sha're… but why is he still on SG-1? And where's Jack?"


	21. Chapter 21

Sam shook her head slightly, unable to take her eyes from future-Daniel.

Future-Sam and future-Daniel joined them and looked awkward for a few moments, before noticing Michael behind them, who had been watching the proceedings with a mixture of confusion, interest and surprise. They exclaimed with a smile,

"Michael Johnson!"

They both hugged him, much to everyone else's, especially his, surprise and bemusement. They then turned to their younger selves, and future-Sam said with a grin,

"Boy, Sam, did you bet on the right horse! I can't tell you everything, but he does save your skins."

Future-Daniel affectionately ruffled Michael's hair, before Daniel asked him,

"So… um, what's with the hair?"

Future-Daniel self-consciously ran his fingers through his hair before replying,

"Um, all that long hair got a bit annoying on missions."

"How's Sha're?"

Future-Daniel's gaze fell for a brief moment, before replying,

"She's fine… she's resting."

Cam quickly changed the subject by saying,

"Well, we can't stay long, especially with Jackson and Sam's child selves being here too. That's one hell of a paradox."

Daniel asked as he looked around at the personnel, "Is Jack dead?"

Future-Sam and future-Daniel exchanged a brief glance before the latter replied,

"No… no, far from it. Well, ok, it depends on your perspective… he thinks of himself as dead but that's just Jack being Jack… He got promoted – can't tell you when though."

Sam exclaimed to her future counterpart, "You're a Colonel then?"

Future-Sam replied with sympathetic smile, "Sam, I can't tell you anything about that. Anyway, we've got to make a move before something bad happens."

Before Sam could reply, she suddenly felt a very sharp pain in her stomach, which made her gasp in surprise. Daniel and Cam grabbed her in an attempt to steady her, and Daniel looked up in time to see future-Sam and future-Daniel exchange a concerned glance.

Future-Sam said quickly, "Guys, we have to go now otherwise it's only going to get worse."

She quickly hugged her younger self, before whispering to Daniel as she hugged him,

"I miss your innocent, long-haired days."

Future-Daniel said to Sam and Daniel, "The adventure's only just beginning for you two… for all of you… us. You're going to have a lot of fun, eventually."

Teal'c added with a slight smile, "Indeed."

The team then said their farewells to Sam, Daniel and Michael before making a quick exit. Michael remarked,

"Wow, Simon, you certainly look different with less hair… why did that man call you Jackson?"


	22. Chapter 22

They returned to New York later that evening after swearing Michael to secrecy about the encounter with their future selves.

After dinner, Sam resumed helping Michael with the generator, and Jane ordered a rather reluctant albeit feisty Janet to bed. As Daniel helped Jane clear the table, she asked quietly,

"Simon, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Is Captain Harper pregnant?"

It took all of Daniel's composure for him not to splutter in surprise at something that he wasn't sure he could cope with _and_ retain the last remaining shreds of his sanity. He asked nonchalantly,

"Why do you ask?"

"I've noticed that she's progressively not able to stand for long periods, and that she gets a little emotional at the oddest of times. It must be tough doing something top secret like this. I didn't see a wedding band, but it's probably not my business to pry…"

Daniel replied, quickly coming up with a lie,

"Oh, um, Alison's been seeing someone for a while… but because of the fraternisation rules, they can't make it official without one or the other resigning their commission."

Jane said in a hushed voice, "But you're not mili… oh right, it's her CO, isn't it?"

"I'm not allowed to reveal that information... sorry."

"Don't be… my brother – Janet's father – is in the Army and he had a relationship with Janet's Mom, another Doctor. They got married and she chose to resign her military commission, but she's… well, she _was_ a civilian medic."

Daniel, realising what she meant, said with a sympathetic expression, "Oh, I'm sorry. It must be hard on Janet."

Jane replied with a sigh, "She gets by… that's one tough kid James has got. She used to have terrible nightmares but over the years, they've faded. She still has the odd one occasionally but they don't usually have her screaming any more."

She changed the subject by asking, "So… is there a Mrs Ballard?"

His gaze dropped for a second before he replied with a Poker face,

"Um, technically… my grandma…"

She chuckled slightly and said, "No, I meant… are you married?"

He replied with a somewhat sheepish expression, "Yeah, sorry, I was trying to duck the issue. Yes, I'm married."

Concealing her disappointment, she asked with a smile,

"How come you're not wearing a ring?"

He replied, his face masking his emotions, "It's not part of her culture. She's from a small Bedouin tribe that travels around the Sinai Peninsula… she was born six miles West of the Nile, in Abydos."

Her interest peaked, she said, "Oh… wow that certainly _is_ exotic! My ex-husband guarded the US Embassy in Cairo, and he said that the food was rather spicy, but he never had a head for an atom's weight of spice."

She chuckled at the last remark as she dried the last plate, and he eventually joined her.


	23. Chapter 23

Later that night, as they lay in bed, something that Jane had said remained in his head. Sam was rather excitedly talking about the latest developments in the generator's design, so she didn't notice at first. However, she did eventually, and she asked,

"Daniel? What's wrong?"

He turned to look at her and asked, "Don't you think that you should see a Doctor?"

Confused, she asked, "What? Why?"

"You've been sick most mornings and evenings, plus you're ankles keep swelling up. Jane noticed you being rather emotional when you were watching that drama on the TV."

Not wanting to deal with what her mind was beginning to suggest, she said dismissively, "No… no, I can't be… this is probably a bug and _you know what_."

"Sam, you said that you needed me to hold it together and whatnot, but I can't do that if you're going to neglect your health."

She retorted heatedly, "Daniel, how am I going to get checked out? One drop of my blood could change the future, and you know it!"

She eventually calmed down and continued, "Sorry… almost lost it then. Ok… this generator's only going to take a couple of weeks – we'll dial the 'gate, go and see the Tollan or Asgard, and I'll get checked out by Janet when we get home."

He tentatively hugged her and replied, "Until then, I want you to take it easy. If you collapse, you'll end up in a hospital and have your blood taken anyway."

"Don't worry… it's just the construction left and we'll rope in Siler… I mean, Sylvester. Wow, it's nice to know that we're not alone... we've got him and Janet… do you think that he joins the Air Force because of us?"

He slowly nodded, deep in thought, before replying, "Maybe… but he's already from a military family, like Janet… maybe we're just catalysts, and not _directly_ responsible for their career paths."

She chuckled and remarked, "I'd pay good money to find out who eventually persuaded you to get your hair cut… or rather who _will_."

He stared at her in disbelief and retorted, "Maybe it _does_ get annoying on missions. Or maybe Sha're likes it short."

She chuckled before saying, "Maybe, but my money's on Colonel O'Neill… although it looks as though he won't be on the team in the future… That's going to be a shame."

"Yeah... despite his sarcasm and cynicism, he really does love his job. And if I didn't have a heart attack each time he insulted someone, I would probably laugh at his jokes."

She chuckled before asking, "Do you think he's going insult every Goa'uld we meet?"

He replied in a hushed voice, "Oh yeah, totally. It's his way of releasing the pain of losing Kawalsky. He'd go mad if he didn't do it, and believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to be on that first mission with him… he really didn't have a sense of humour."

"Wow, I can't imagine him _not_ cracking jokes…"

Suddenly, he remembered something and he said, "Oh… I forgot… Jane's been wondering about you, and I managed to dodge the issue, almost. She sort of things that you're having an illicit relationship with your CO."

She exclaimed, "What?!"

"Apparently Janet's Mom and Dad were fraternising until she resigned her commission, so Jane assumed that you're in a similar situation, what with the symptoms and you not wearing a ring."

She frowned slightly before asking, "You really do think that I'm pregnant?"

"I think that you should just be careful until we can go home."


	24. Chapter 24

Over the next few weeks, Daniel did his best to hold it together, and for the most part, he succeeded. He knew that whatever was up with Sam, she needed him, especially if it was something that his mind didn't even want to consider yet.

The construction of the generator got underway, but Sam was unable to participate as much as she would have liked, what with her having to rest at regular intervals. This annoyed her greatly, but luckily, Michael reluctantly let Sylvester help in between Sam's working spurts, and the teenager was surprised at how much the young boy could do.

Daniel was about to suggest taking her out for a walk, when there was a knock at the door. As he was nearest, he opened it to find a couple in their late twenties looking at him with confused expressions. The woman said to the man, in an accent with a soft Southern lilt,

"Honey, I was so sure that this was Janey Fraiser's house!"

Jane came to the door and said with a grin, "Wendy! Frank!"

Wendy hugged Jane, and Frank asked with a smile, looking from Daniel to Sam,

"Entertaining guests?"

Jane replied, gesturing to the two scientists, "They're with the Air Force… Michael's helping them with something."

Daniel smiled and said, offering his hand, "I'm Doctor Simon Ballard and my colleague is Captain Alison Harper."

Frank cautiously shook his hand and said, "Frank Mitchell, and this is my wife Wendy. You don't look very military – I take it that you're a civilian consultant."

"Yes Sir."

"Hey, I'm too young to be a 'Sir'… call me Frank."

"Ok."

Jane escorted the Mitchells into the lounge, and Sam whispered to Daniel,

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that guy is the spitting image of Cam… oh God, they're his parents!"

Daniel nodded and replied, "That lady bears some resemblance to him too."

She grabbed his arm and whispered, "Let's hang out with Michael – we could change Cam's future… he was born, or rather _will_ be born in May 1970… wait a second… she didn't look pregnant to you, did she?"

He replied, "She's probably in the early stages…"

He felt sick as he thought of whether Sam was pregnant or not, and without a word, he walked to where Michael was. She, instantly understanding what was on his mind, quickly followed him.


	25. Chapter 25

A few minutes later, Jane sought Sam and Daniel out, saying,

"Frank and Wendy want to get to know you… Frank's in the Air Force too."

Sam nodded in acknowledgement, and her and Daniel followed Jane to the lounge, where they proceeded to have a rather lively conversation with the Mitchells, chiefly Wendy, about pie and the Air Force. Wendy remarked with a chuckle,

"My mother-in-law makes absolutely fantastic pies – I recommend the Blueberry. Usually people say all sorts about their in-laws, but she is absolutely _fantastic_."

She followed up her exuberant remark with a wink, which made Sam and Daniel smile. Frank looked a little embarrassed and he retorted,

"She doesn't hate you – she's just a rather shy person and it comes out as hostility."

Wendy rolled her eyes before Sam, sensing an argument brewing, asked,

"So… do you have any children?"

Frank's gaze fell to the floor as Wendy's smile faded. She replied with a wistful expression,

"No… we don't…"

Daniel, noticing how sad she looked, said, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, sweetie. We just haven't been very lucky, that's all."

Daniel understood her instantly, remembering how him and Sha're had tried albeit unsuccessfully for a baby. Before his thoughts could turn to Sam's potential pregnancy, he forced himself to think about something else.

Sam silently wondered whether Cam was adopted. She asked Daniel, wanting to escape the awkwardness,

"Um, Simon, should we be checking on Michael now?"

Daniel, realising her intentions, replied, "Oh yes…"

He turned to Frank and Wendy, and said as him and Sam got up to leave the room,

"It was nice meeting you, Mr and Mrs Mitchell."

Wendy immediately replied with a chuckle, "Oh call me Wendy!"

She turned to Frank and remarked, "See, it does civilian consultants a lot of good being around all those Air Force officers!"


	26. Chapter 26

Principal Dannenberg granted Michael an extended leave of absence as the new semester arrived. She seemed rather enthusiastic at Michael's talents "_finally being put to good use_," and actually smiled, which surprised Sam to no end.

The generator was nearing completion, due in no small part to Sylvester's after-school assistance. Janet watched the construction with great interest, despite only having a very vague idea as to what it was supposed to do.

One night, as Sam and Daniel discussed the progress of the 'project', they heard banging noises from downstairs, before they distinctly heard a man shout a stream of expletives. Instantly alert, they got out of bed, before Daniel said,

"Sam, go back to bed – I'll go and see what's going on."

She replied as she concealed her zat, "Daniel, don't be ridiculous. I'm the only one here with full combat training. You can cover me if you want, but I am _not_ going to lay back while Jane, Janet and Michael are at risk of getting hurt."

Without another word, she quietly ran down the steps, in the direction of the disturbance, closely followed by a very concerned Daniel. They crept down the staircase after quietly checking in on Michael and Janet, before she silently walked into the lounge, to see a rather tall, muscular man shouting at a very scared but determined looking Jane.

The man shouted, "What are you going to do? Huh? He's my son too. You can't stop me from having access to him!"

Jane retorted, "You don't give a damn about him, David! I _won't_ let you exploit him."

David snarled, "Shut up and let me take him!"

She flatly refused, and he raised a hand to smack her, when Sam deftly tackled him, flooring the man. He was about to overpower her, but she zatted him, and he fell unconscious. She looked up at a very shocked Jane and asked,

"Jane, are you alright?"

Jane dumbly nodded, wondering what had just happened, and Daniel asked,

"Sam?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. We need to get this guy outside though… Jane, I take it that this is Michael's father?"

Jane nodded again, still in shock, before asking, "What did you do to him?"

"Ah, it's an experimental weapon that the Air Force is working on. He's only stunned. It's not completely reliable as a form of defence yet."

She decided to leave the 'two shots kill; three shots disintegrates' rule out in case Jane used it in the heat of the moment.

With Daniel's help, she lugged the man outside, leaving him on the sidewalk some distance away from the house.

As they walked back, Daniel said, concerned,

"Sam, next time, you're really going to have let me deal with it."

"Oh come on Daniel, you would've got beaten up by that guy."

"Not if I zatted him first, instead of acting like a football player."

She pretended to look shocked at his remark, and exclaimed,

"Football player?!"

Just as he was about to apologise, she retorted,

"Well, at least he didn't get a chance to hit her… I really hope Michael doesn't get scarred by that s-o-b, although if the Colonel were here, I'm sure he would have broken that fool's neck."

"Who? Jack or that guy?"

When he grinned at her, she playfully hit him and remarked with a grin matching his,

"I don't know how my future self copes with your future self."

"Maybe it's the hair."


	27. Chapter 27

Sam began to notice that she had put on weight, and this worried her in itself. She reasoned it may be down to the raisins that she kept finding herself eating at odd moments, despite hating the dried grapes with an intense passion.

It suddenly hit her while she was tightening a screw on the generator. _I'm pregnant_. Up until then, she hadn't wanted to think about it, wanting to concentrate on the generator, but she had been rather concerned as to the nature of her mysterious 'illness': swollen ankles, fatigue, sickness, mood swings, weight gain… _oh boy._

She realised that she couldn't ignore it any more, and then came the thoughts about what they were going to do about it. She was sure that she would love the baby with all her heart, and that her teammates, especially Daniel, would support her, but she was concerned that her career could be ruined.

Moreover, as she was pregnant out of wedlock, by none other than her best friend, she would be the topic of many a piece of gossip for a long time coming, and it could affect her chances of promotion within the patriarchal establishment that was the Air Force.

She wished that she had Janet's future self to talk to, so she could come to some sort of a decision. But then she reasoned that if Janet's future self was around, she probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to get pregnant, and thus wouldn't have anything to talk about.

She decided that she needed to talk things over with Daniel, despite her own reservations as to his psychological state over getting her in this position in the first place.

"Well," she thought to herself, "he suspected that I was pregnant anyway, as did Jane, so it probably won't be _that_ much of a shock… hopefully."


	28. Chapter 28

Sam found Daniel reading a book out on the front step, and she debated whether she should tell him or not. She sat down next to him, and he asked, instantly realising something was up,

"Sam? What's wrong?"

She replied as she looked down at her hands,

"Daniel, I'm pregnant."

He closed his eyes briefly before saying quietly,

"I know… I was hoping that you weren't, but it was getting rather obvious. I'm so sorry."

She squeezed his upper arm and said, "Daniel, stop apologising. It was an accident, and it happened. I let it happen, so I suppose this is some sort of karmic justice."

She chuckled sardonically at her last remark, and he said sincerely,

"Sam, it wasn't your fault… oh God."

She said firmly, "Daniel, you're going to have to stop blaming yourself. We'll get through this. It doesn't mean that you don't love Sha're. It's quite the opposite actually, but I won't go into that just now. I'm just going to take one step at a time and..."

She paused and exclaimed in surprise, "Dear God, I didn't realise how taken I was with the idea of being pregnant."

He looked at her and asked, "Are you sure that you want to keep it? I don't want you to think that you have to…"

"Why would I think that? No, I know that I want to keep it… why are you worried?"

"It's nothing."

"Daniel… talk to me."

He replied with a sigh as he stared at the ground in front of him,

"Sha're and I tried for a baby and it didn't happen… I've only told Jack about that, but I didn't tell him, or anyone else, the rest. She miscarried when she was four months along. She thought she was cursed by the 'gods'."

She held his hand as he continued, "When I saw what Apophis had done to her, I thought that maybe it was me that had a problem all along, but this… this shows that it was in fact _her_ that had something wrong. It would break her heart if she learnt that."

A tear rolled down his cheek, and she wiped it away, saying, her eyes glistening with unshed tears,

"I am _so_ sorry to hear that, Daniel… dear God, a miscarriage in the first world's bad enough, but in a place with no medical facilities…"

She hugged him before saying, "But I'm honoured that you felt that you could share that with me."

He tentatively rested a hand on her abdomen and said as his voice broke under the emotion,

"I'm sorry… for this, and for not holding it together."

She pulled him into a hug and whispered, "It's ok… you can't keep it bottled up forever."


	29. Chapter 29

The generator complete, Sam, Daniel and Michael discussed how they were going to hook it up to the Stargate without being shot at. She suggested that maybe Sylvester could construct an electrical fence of some kind, which would protect them from an attack from outside, but not from above.

That night, Sylvester managed to sneak out of his house undetected, and he met them and Janet at the warehouse. Sam was wary about leaving two children by themselves but Sylvester assured her that he could divert any unwanted attention from them. Daniel asked her,

"Are you sure that Michael should come with us?"

"He won't tell a soul, and he really has to get some idea of what's out there."

She whispered, "He's not part of the programme in the future… that must say something."

"S… Alison, you can't change the future."

"We already have."

Sam and Sylvester connected the Stargate to the generator using various cables, while Daniel and Michael manually dialled an address. Michael asked,

"Isn't there an easier way to do this?"

"Oh there is… it's just that this particular device doesn't come with the easy part."

"Ah… everyone thinks that aliens have it all organised but they're just as bad as us humans."

Daniel chuckled and remarked, "Yeah, something like that."

He pulled the teenager out of the way when the seventh chevron locked and the unstable vortex shot out. Michael asked,

"What was that?"

Sam remarked with a grin, "That, Michael Johnson, was an unstable vortex. It's basically the energy left over after the wormhole forms…"

Michael, awed, touched the event horizon, whispering,

"Oh my God… this… this is beautiful… is it safe?"

Daniel replied, "Yes."

"Where are we going?"

Sam replied as she held the arms of both men, "A nice little place called Tollan."

She turned around and said, "Sylvester, Janet, are you sure that you're going to be ok?"

Janet nodded, staring at the active event horizon, and Sylvester replied, awed,

"Um, yes Ma'am… I mean Alison… When you go, I'm going to make an electrical fence. We'll be fine."

"Look after Janet."

"Ok."

The two members of SG-1 and the teenager walked through the event horizon, hoping that the Tollan would help them.


	30. Chapter 30

Sam, Daniel and Michael arrived on Tollan, the latter gaping around his surroundings. The two members of SG-1 took point with their zats, wary of a welcoming committee, whoever they might be. When he eventually regained the power of speech, Michael exclaimed,

"This doesn't appear to be _that_ different from Earth… although the architecture is very different. Wow… Are they more advanced than us?"

As Sam's eyes scanned their surroundings, Daniel replied,

"Yes, very. We're hoping that they'll help us get home again, although they haven't met us yet."

Sam frowned slightly and said to Daniel,

"When we met the Tollan, they didn't appear to recognise us, but…"

Daniel continued her thought,

"They could have made themselves forget, especially after what happened _here._"

Michael asked, "What happened here?"

"Um… it's more of a question of what _will _happen… Seeing as you're a Physicist, you know I can't tell you anything."

"Yeah, but this isn't Earth."

Daniel frowned and said, "As it is you know way too much."

Michael shrugged, and before he could say anything, the group was approached by three men in grey suits. Daniel stood in front of Sam and Michael, and said to the leader,

"Hello. I'm Daniel Jackson. This is Samantha Carter and Michael Johnson. We're from a planet called Earth."

The leader, a man with salt and pepper hair, bowed slightly and replied,

"I am Tarnim of the Tollan. Welcome to Tollan. We will escort you to our leader."

Sam, Daniel and an awe-struck Michael followed the men, when suddenly everything became a very bright shade of white.


	31. Chapter 31

Sam, Daniel and Michael stared around themselves in a mixture of surprise and trepidation. The teenager stood closer to Daniel as he asked, in a hushed voice,

"What happened?"

The two members of SG-1 discovered that their zats had disappeared, which naturally caused a significant amount of alarm. Sam called out,

"Hello?"

Suddenly, a figure clad in white appeared behind them, startling Daniel who had been looking in that direction at that precise moment. It was a mature looking woman with medium-brown hair, and she looked at them with a slight smile. The three humans stared at her, speechless, before Daniel regained the power of speech first. He asked her,

"Who are you?"

She replied in a calm, almost serene voice, "I cannot inform you of my name, nor can I reveal to you anything else regarding my background. All you can know is that you cannot change the path that has already formed. Two of you have come from further in the path, and changing this part of the path will cause immeasurable damage to the timeline."

Sam asked, "Can you send us back?"

The woman shook her head and replied,

"I can, but I am not permitted to do so. Samantha Carter, you cannot return to your time until the birth of the child that you carry. The child will go on to achieve great things and will prove instrumental in the future of Earth. For this reason, you must delay your departure."

Sam exclaimed, "We're supposed to wait for the baby before we can go home?! Do you even _know_ how traumatic childbirth is going to be in a time period with comparatively limited medical facilities?!"

Daniel asked, "After the birth, can you send us back?"

"I cannot interfere in the lower plains in the manner of which you speak. However, you will return – that much is certain. Your friends have initiated a chain of events that will result in your homecoming. There is one issue left."

Sam asked, more than a little exasperated, "What?"

"The child that you carry cannot return to your time."

Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing, and neither could Daniel. Sam squared up to the woman and said, angrily, tears running down her cheeks,

"I will not leave my baby behind."

Daniel held her hand, squeezing it in support, and the woman replied,

"You must, and you will. When I release you, I will extract the memories of our meeting here, and you will return to this time period. You will have a lingering feeling that you cannot keep the baby, and you will have memories of the Tollan refusing to risk the life of your child by helping you."

Sam shouted, "You can't do that!"

"I can and I must, for the sake of the timeline."

"Screw the timeline! This is my – our – baby you're talking about, and I refuse to let you do this."

"You have no choice. The real memories will return once you and Daniel Jackson develop feelings of a romantic nature for each other. Michael Johnson's memories of meeting you will remain, but those pertaining to the child you carry will be shrouded until the time that _you_ develop romantic feelings for each other."

Michael looked on in bewilderment at the proceedings, and Sam and Daniel exchanged a rather distressed look. Daniel asked, trying to hide his pain,

"Does that mean that I won't find Sha're?"

"Daniel Jackson, I cannot reveal that information."

Sam snapped, very angry, "Who the hell do you think you are, abducting us like this!?"

In attempt to calm her down, Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder and said,

"Sam, it looks like we don't have any choice but to capitulate."

This only partially worked, and Sam said to the woman, obviously trying to contain her anger,

"You have the ability to send us back. Why are you messing about, and threatening to alter our memories?! I will not, repeat, will **not** allow you to take this baby, nor will I allow you keep us stranded here."

"I am sorry Samantha, but you have no choice, and neither do I."

With a movement of her hand, the three humans disappeared, before she reverted to her true form and floated, higher and higher.


	32. Chapter 32

Daniel found himself dialling the Tollan 'gate, with Sam and Michael looking on. Sam exclaimed, throwing her hands down in annoyance,

"I can't believe the Tollan refused to help! That is just… argh!"

She kicked the air in frustration, and Michael said with a sad expression, "For advanced aliens, they seemed like a bunch of a-holes, if you'll pardon the expression."

Daniel replied with a sigh, "Well, all we have to do is wait for the baby to be born, and then…"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a worried look, as they, and Michael, walked through the event horizon back to Earth.

They were greeted by the sight of a very alert Sylvester, sat next to the curled up form of a sleeping Janet. Sam smiled briefly at the little girl, before Sylvester asked,

"What happened Alison?"

She replied, "The Tollan have refused to help us, saying that it would put the baby at risk. We're to return after the baby is born."

Daniel asked Sylvester, "Did you get any trouble?"

Sylvester replied as he deactivated an electrical fence he had constructed,

"No Simon… it's a miracle, because that thing made a huge racket when you were turning it on."

Daniel gently picked up the still sleeping Janet, and he said with a sigh,

"Thanks Sylvester. Come on, let's go home."

Sam barely stifled a yawn, and Daniel put a supporting arm around her as they left the warehouse, followed by an excited Michael, and Sylvester.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Warning**__: Contains semi-graphic descriptions of childbirth – if you're screamish, skip this chapter… it's just… well, you know._

_--------------------_

As Sam increased in size, and decreased in walking ability, she intermittently worked with Michael on optimising the generator. When Jane and anyone else not in the loop were out of earshot, he talked excitedly about their experience on Tollan. Sylvester, in the mean time, worked on honing his mechanical skills as he helped the two Physicists.

Sam remarked to Daniel one night during a moment of frustration,

"You know, it could be a good thing that Tollan's going to be trashed."

Daniel replied, not too surprised as to the outburst, due in no small part to her condition,

"Sam, Tollan got 'trashed', because of sharing technology with a bunch of imbeciles."

_--------------------_

A couple of months later, Sam was near the end of her third trimester, and she frequently lamented about her size. Daniel put aside all of his guilt as to the baby's origins to one side and concentrated on being there for his friend. The Mitchells frequently visited during this time to lend their support, and Wendy regaled her with anecdotes passed down to her by her grandmother. Jane too supported Sam, giving her useful advice and telling her funny stories.

One morning, Sam was woken up to what she judged to be contractions. She gently shook Daniel and whispered,

"Daniel! I think it's time!"

In an instant, he was up and ready to help. He called out of the door,

"Jane! It's happening!"

Daniel sat by Sam's side as she began to groan in pain, and he held her hand, whispering,

"It's going to be alright."

As the pain threatened to overwhelm her, she snapped,

"You would say that! Try being in my position!"

He said, "I would if I could," genuinely meaning every word.

He smoothed her brow as she began to pant, and he began to talk her through the required breathing. Jane came running in with towels, a bowl of water, a black bag and some scissors. She asked Daniel,

"How far apart?"

He instantly replied, as he had been timing her contractions,

"Half a minute."

Sam began to scream in pain, and Daniel mopped her brow with a damp towel as he whispered,

"It'll be all over soon, S… Alison. I promise."

He looked up at Jane, who had stationed herself at the receiving end, and asked,

"Jane, do you need any help?"

"I'm ok…"

He assured her, "I've done this before."

She looked surprised and she replied with a smile,

"Oh… ok, I might rope you in a little later… For the time being, Alison needs you… Is there anyway we could contact the birth father?"

Daniel closed his eyes briefly before deciding to stick to his cover story. He replied,

"He's out of the country."

Jane nodded and before she could say anything else, Sam let out a loud scream, and Daniel winced in pain as she clamped down on his hand. She groaned,

"Oh God, it hurts! Daniel, make it stop!"

Jane didn't notice the different name, but she was preoccupied with events 'down there'. Daniel, trying to ignore his own pain, whispered as he mopped her brow with his free hand,

"Breathe…"

Sam took in a deep breath before screaming at the pain. She asked,

"Can I push now!?"

Jane replied, "Not yet, Alison… there's a while left."

Jane then asked Daniel, "Simon, how's your hand?"

He replied, "It's ok… it'll be a nice bruise later on."

Jane smiled briefly before returning her attention to Sam. Suddenly, her eyes widened slightly in surprise and she said quickly,

"Ok… push!"

As Jane and Daniel began to coach Sam through the pushing process, she screamed and panted, before Jane said with a smile,

"One more big push now…"

Sam screamed while she did as she was told, partially sitting up in the process. Daniel eased her back onto the bed, and Sam screamed,

"I hate you!"

Jane frowned slightly at the remark, before concentrating her efforts on the situation. Soon, she was holding a bloodied baby in her hand, the sight of which brought tears of joy to her eyes. She mentally shook herself before going about cutting the umbilical cord, and then washing the baby. Daniel left Sam's side to look it, as Jane wrapped it in a towel. She wrapped it in a towel and handed it to him, saying over his shoulder to Sam, grinning,

"Congratulations, Captain Harper – it's a boy!"

Daniel cradled the baby with an awed expression on his face, and he sat next to Sam, who looked up at them with a tired smile. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered as he handed the bundle to her,

"Say 'hello' to our little boy."

Sam held the baby, and soon she became instantly attached. Daniel helped Jane clear up, before helping Sam to feed the new arrival, both of them blushing a deeper shade of red than K'Tau.

Later, after the Mitchells paid a visit to congratulate them, and after Michael and Janet had laid eyes on the newborn, Sam and Daniel lay facing each other, the now sleeping baby between them. He asked her,

"Have you thought of a name?"

She shrugged slightly and replied with a sad expression,

"I have, but there's no point. We're going to have to leave him behind. We can't take him home without getting into trouble."

He gently grazed her face with his knuckles as he said,

"We should leave him with a little reminder of who he is."

A tear rolled down her cheek and he dried it, before she said,

"Ok… Cameron Daniel."

He looked puzzled as he asked, "Cameron? As in your friend…?"

She shook her head and replied, "No, my Uncle Cameron – Mom's brother. He died in a car crash when I was five."

"Why don't we call him Samuel Daniel?"

She smiled and remarked, "That sounds odd!"

"And Cameron Daniel doesn't?!"

He sobered up somewhat as he asked, "Where are going to leave him?"

She replied as she gazed at the sleeping boy, "The Mitchells."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded and replied, "Wendy would make a fantastic mother, and she hasn't had a chance."

Tears streamed down her face as she smoothed her son's fair hair, and Daniel whispered,

"I'm so sorry for starting all of this."

She looked up at him and replied, annoyed,

"Daniel Jackson, don't you dare apologise!"


	34. Chapter 34

Sam and Daniel reluctantly gave Cameron Daniel to the Mitchells, saying that they couldn't provide for the child. All doubts regarding their integrity vanished when Jane, Frank and Wendy watched Sam break down into tears, and sob into Daniel's shoulder. The Mitchells, after Sam and Daniel repeatedly insisted that they adopt the child, decided to keep his first names, and called him 'Cameron Daniel Mitchell'.

The two members of SG-1 resumed their attempts to return home, and again, in the dead of night, they and Michael went with Sylvester and Janet to the warehouse, where they proceeded to dial the 'gate. However, the 'gate wouldn't dial out, which saddened Sam and Daniel greatly. They redialled, several times, before reluctantly deciding to give up.

Sam, already upset at having to give up her baby, rested her head on Daniel's chest, and sobbed.

Suddenly, there was an incoming wormhole, and they watched as it stabilised. Sam and Daniel readied their zats, just as Jack and Teal'c emerged, looking around themselves in apprehension. Jack remarked,

"You'd think they'd have moved the 'gate out of here after last time."

"Indeed."

Unknown to all present, a serene looking woman, dressed in white, stood in the corner of the room. She waved her hand, and unnoticed by all, a white light briefly flashed throughout the room. She smiled to herself before reverting to her real form and floating through the ceiling.

Everyone looked at Jack and Teal'c in surprise, and the former remarked,

"What? You never seen a couple of guys before!?"

Sam ran up to the men, after reassuring herself that they were real, and saluted Jack, saying,

"Teal'c! Sir! How did you get here?"

Daniel hugged Teal'c, as Jack replied,

"Well, y'know, with you not back at base, we got Lee to help. This is the first time we've been able to dial out during a flare – turns out there wasn't enough power at this end, or something. Anyhoo, there's gonna be a flare in a few minutes so we don't have lot of time."

Jack patted Daniel on the shoulder, and asked,

"So… who's the gang?"

Sam and Daniel grinned at each other, before Sam pointed the rest out, one by one,

"Well Sir, that's Janet Fraiser, that's Michael Johnson – our gating saviour, and that shy young man is Sylvester Siler."

Teal'c retained his composure, and Jack tried to do the same, but failed. He remarked,

"Fraiser and Siler are here?!"

Daniel nodded and said, "But you can't say too much Jack… this _is_ the past after all."

Jack nodded, before saying as he glanced at his watch, "Right, time's short… it was nice meetin' y'all!"

Sam and Daniel hugged their friends, before Jack said with a smile as he patted Teal'c's bicep,

"Come on big guy, we've got some dialling to do…"

Jack and Teal'c manually dialled the 'gate as the teenager and children looked on in awe. Sam remarked to Daniel,

"I can't believe we were there for Cam's birth!"

Jack stopped briefly and remarked, "Birth?!"

Daniel whispered to Jack, so that the others wouldn't hear,

"We met the parents of a friend of Sam's… and we happened to be there during the birth."

Jack remarked as he resumed dialling, "Sounds messy."

The 'gate activated, Jack said, "Right campers, it's now or never… Fraiser, Siler, I'll see you in thirty years!"

Daniel mussed Michael's hair, before SG-1 stepped into the event horizon, Sam calling back,

"Explain it to Janet when she's old enough."

The wormhole shut down, and Janet asked,

"Were they aliens?"

Michael smiled at where the wormhole had been, before saying,

"Yes… kind of."

He towed the generator out of the warehouse, with Janet and Sylvester numbly following, and they all went home.


	35. Chapter 35

SG-1 arrived back at the SGC, in 1999, to find Hammond, Janet and Siler waiting at the bottom of the ramp. As soon as Sam and Daniel appeared, Janet and Siler pulled them into hugs. Janet pulled back and said with a smile,

"Michael told me everything when I was old enough."

Sam smiled and replied, "So you've been waiting for this?"

"Ever since we first met."

Sam pulled Siler into a hug and said, "Thank you, Sylvester," much to the obvious amusement of Jack and the gateroom personnel. Hammond cleared his throat and said,

"Welcome home Captain Carter and Doctor Jackson. Debriefing in one hour."

Sam released Siler, before saluting Hammond, who returned the gesture, and he said with a smile,

"Doctor Fraiser, this is going to be one very interesting debriefing… I suggest that you and Sergeant Siler sit in on this one."

Janet and Siler replied with grins, "Yes, Sir!"

_--------------------_

Sam and Daniel were at the University, waiting outside an office, when a woman appeared and said,

"The Professor will see you now."

They walked into the office and were greeted by a very familiar, albeit older man with stunning bottle-green eyes. Sam exclaimed as she hugged him,

"Michael!"

"Wow, Alison, it's great to see you again!"

He hugged Daniel too, before Sam said,

"Um, about our names… we had to lie to you because we were in the past."

Michael nodded and said with a smile,

"It would've been stupid if you hadn't. I'm guessing Simon here is called Jackson."

Daniel frowned slightly before saying, "Ah… that little future thing. I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson, and this is Captain Samantha Carter."

Michael remarked to Sam, "I thought your future self called you 'Sam'! Wow. We have so much catching up to do."

Daniel retorted with a smile, "Yes, but do you really want to hear about our childhoods!?"


	36. Chapter 36

_Eight years later, sometime between Unending and the last movie._

_--------------------_

Sam was working in her lab, trying to distract herself from life in general. She felt as though she had lost Daniel to Vala as the two of them had a tendency to hang out with each other a lot. Cam and Teal'c always seemed to be unavailable, playing basketball or just hanging out in general.

She felt alone, and she wished that she had Daniel to talk to, at least. She recalled the past few years, and cursed herself when she remembered hinting to him as to her feelings about him. It was when he was dying from radiation poisoning, and even now, a stray tear rolled down her cheek as she thought back to that traumatic time, and the bad year that followed.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she, startled, turned around to see a very concerned looking Daniel looking back at her, his breathtaking eyes making her breath catch in her throat. Her gaze lowered as the tears returned, and she was about to turn away when he stopped her. He gently lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eyes, and he asked her,

"What's wrong?"

She replied, annoyed and hurt, "It's nothing, Daniel… go back to drooling over Vala."

She turned away, but he made her turn back, and he remarked with raised eyebrows,

"What?!!"

"You heard."

He said, forcing her to meet his gaze again,

"Sam, I don't know what you're thinking, but I'd never drool over Vala… I can barely stand her. What gave you that impression?"

Taken aback, she couldn't speak, and he continued,

"And besides, there's always been someone else in the background."

She looked disappointed, and his private suspicions were confirmed. He gently kissed her on the lips and whispered,

"That would be you, by the way. I could never love anyone else."

She looked up at him and asked in surprise,

"You _love_ me?"

He nodded, and she replied with a smile, "I love you too."

He grinned, remarking, "I figured as much…"

Suddenly, they simultaneously closed their eyes as images flashed through their minds. Daniel held his head and remarked,

"What just happened?"

He saw Sam holding her head, and then the memories returned. He lightly grazed her cheek with his knuckles as he whispered,

"Colonel-Doctor, I'm so sorry for what I did. Oh my God… we're Mitchell's parents!"

She nodded, overcome with emotion, and asked,

"Should we tell him?"

He frowned slightly before replying, "No… it'll hurt him – he'll think his whole life's been a lie. I say we just leave him be. No wonder he calls me Jackson!"

"He's got to know at some point."

"Sam, he's happy, and think of the presents we don't have to buy for all those years we missed… We've got one heck of a son there though, haven't we?"

He leant down and kissed her gently, before she held onto the back of his head and deepened the kiss. The world disappeared as they channelled their energies into the embrace. Cam exclaimed with a grin from the doorway, having only witnessed the kiss,

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"


End file.
